Emergency responders were searching the east end of the downtown Savannah riverfront near the Waving Girl statue Sunday following reports that someone went in the water and did not surface.
Firefighters were called to the area about 9:50 a.m., said Mark Keller, Savannah Fire & Emergency Services spokesman.
Dive crews from the fire department responded, as did boats and personnel from the Savannah-Chatham police department, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Coast Guard. A Coast Guard helicopter crew also aided in the search effort.
The fire department released the scene to metro police about 11:30 a.m., when police divers and marine patrol officers took over the search for the reported missing person.
Two witnesses told police they saw a male in his teens or early 20s sitting along the waterfront then heard a splash, metro police spokesman Julian Miller said at the scene.
The witnesses said they saw him in the water asking for help and tried to throw a rope to him, but could not get it to him before he went under, Miller said.
A rope attached to a flotation device is located nearby in a box on the riverfront for emergencies.
Miller said police divers were forced to discontinue their search about 1 p.m. when the falling tides created currents too dangerous for the underwater search to carry on.
Police are asking anyone with information on the identity of the person, who was reported to be black, wearing a white shirt and no shoes, to call 911.
Overnight roadwork on Abercorn continues
Overnight lane closures on Abercorn Street at King George Boulevard are scheduled over the next three days.
The Georgia Department of Transportation will close the lanes tonight from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m., weather permitting, to enhance visibility of roadway striping in that intersection. The nightly closures will continue through Wednesday night.
Motorists are asked to use extreme caution in the work zone and reduce speeds while traveling in the area as crews are working.
Compiled by Dash Coleman